Mitsubishi develops carbon nanotube high-end speakers

Mitsibushi Electrics has developed a prototype speaker with carbon nanotube-based cones, which are said to offer the same audio quality as existing high-end materials but at a lower cost.

According to nikkei.com, the company hopes that the cones will set the ball rolling for less expensive speakers. It hopes to push these into the public domain for use in TVs and cars.

The speakers works by incorporating plastics and nanotubes, which are said to give the same sound quality as those which use metal and ceramics and are more expensive. According to the company they also deliver high-quality sounds in a wide range of pitches.

The company’s high-end speakers, which cost several hundreds of thousands of yen, use cones made of boron carbide. And because they are produced in a vacuum unit, the process can become pricey.The carbon nanotube-based cones, however, can be manufactured at lower cost as the new materials can be incorporated into a plastic injection molding, which is comparable to a high-velocity metal diaphragm.

The company said the development of new materials and the optimum formulation of resin carbon several would make these speakers succeed. It said it’s new speakers were comparable to the widespread use of titanium metal diaphragm velocity higher than 5000m.

It also said these new speakers were closer to the source of sound reproduction unity thus accurately being able to reproduce the sound. They also have a woofer speaker vibration plate material for the equalisation of high notes in songs.